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Summer 2011 Teacher Connection Newsletter
file:////maindc/users/gphillips/PDFs%2058/Teacher%20Connection/2011%20Summer%20Teacher%20connection.html[12/21/2011 11:10:07 AM]
Dr. Phyllis Hudecki
Issue: #3 Summer 2011
Happy Summer!
Wow....the fall semester is right around the corner. When I was in the classroom, I
always looked forward to the new beginnings that each school year brought - new
students, new challenges, and new opportunities.
This issue of our newsletter highlights many university and student successes, but it
also features Dr. Hudecki's vision for future educational opportunities in our state.
We also feature a true pioneer in Oklahoma's educational foundation - Clara Luper.
Her profound influence in the state can never be forgotten and must continue to be
built upon.
What new opportunities and challenges will we seize to strengthen and impact the
kids of our state?
Have a restful end-of-the-summer, and best of luck for an exciting, opportunity-filled
2011-12 school year!
Director of Teacher Education and the Minority Teacher Recruitment Center
News
Oklahoma's Secretary of Education Stresses Common Sense
Accountability
This is definitely a season of change in Oklahoma - a change in leadership,
mandates, and budget reforms. However, with this change, those involved in
education will also see a greater focus on accountability.
Government officials, lawmakers, leaders, education
agencies, superintendents, school administrators, teachers,
support staff, parents, and students will all have the
opportunity to work together under these new accountability
measures.
Dr. Phyllis Hudecki, the newly appointed Oklahoma
Secretary of Education, calls these measures common
sense solutions.
Hudecki's education background and career experience
make her a perfect fit for the new position - a post that has
been empty for almost a decade. Hudecki, a Morris,
Oklahoma, native, received her undergraduate and
doctorate degrees from Oklahoma State University.
In This
Issue
A Message
From the
Director of
Teacher
Education
Oklahoma's
Secretary of
Education
Stresses
Common
Sense
Accountability
Locust Grove
Gates
Scholarship
Winners
Credit
Teachers,
Counselor,
and Hard
Work for
Their
Success
Clara Luper
Remembered
as a Pioneer
for Change,
a
Consummate
Teacher
Ted Gillispie
Retires at the
Top of His
Game
Education
Expert
Advocates
Enhanced
Teacher
Preparation
Campus
News:
Summer 2011 Teacher Connection Newsletter
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Additionally, she holds an Educational Specialist degree in Education Administration
from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Masters Degree in Education
from the University of Connecticut.
She began her career as a teacher. However, over the past 30 years, she has held
numerous posts in education, including serving as an administrator at a technical
high school in Kansas City, Missouri; holding various positions in the departments
of education in Iowa, Missouri, and Massachusetts; and working at the United
States Department of Education in Washington, D.C. She was also the Associate
Director of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education at the
University of California-Berkeley. And she most recently served as the Executive
Director of the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition (OBEC). "I have
worked with, in, or for public education for most of my life. I understand the federal
side and the state policy side."
Addressing the changes needed in Oklahoma's education system, Hudecki stated,
"We are going to have to focus sharply on the core mission of schooling. Schools
have become busy places, so busy in fact that we often forget why we are having
school," Hudecki said.
For starters, Hudecki stressed that teachers do not need any more mandates. "It is
so easy at the state level to develop a policy and roll it out there, and if it is flawed,
or if it is sabotaged, we don't bother to evaluate or modify it. When that happens, it
is extremely hard to reel it back in. It's difficult to recover from that."
She added that, even although Oklahoma and the country are facing challenges,
these challenges give everyone an opportunity on every level to make changes, but
points out that these changes must be made with caution. "This isn't original, but I
heard someone say education is like placing baby plants in the ground, and if they
don't start sprouting and growing within two weeks, then we would pull them up by
the roots and put something else in. Instead, let's take a look at the root of the
problems. Let's try and get some data instead of passing another law," Hudecki
said.
Hudecki stressed, "We need the 'can-do' attitude. We know that we are not going to
get a new shipment of parents in Oklahoma. The parents will send us their kids
from their homes, and we will have to work with them. We can't find smarter kids.
This is the hand we have been dealt. This is the challenge in education. We have
to help those kids become bright, creative, capable and successful."
Hudecki also feels a greater emphasis on accountability for school administrators is
needed. She stated, "Administrators will be held accountable for the environments
in that building. There is nothing worse than going into an environment that is
terrible and not conducive to doing your job. It is hard to work in an environment
when you are unappreciated and not supported."
Hudecki further emphasizes that support must come from the home. "Ending social
promotion is going to get parents' attention faster and in way we have not seen in a
very long time. We are serious. We need your help at home, and if you're capable
of helping us, then we are going to need you," Hudecki said.
She added that she would like to enlist the support and the help of the various
parent organizations to communicate the message of the common core standards,
which will implemented by 2014. "I don't think any parent would object to finding out
what they need to know about what is coming. I think that they would welcome it,
saying great, now, my child will be given the opportunity to learn at a more
competitive level and be successful. I don't know of any parent that doesn't want
their child to be successful - that's common sense."
"I see opportunity. We are ready for change," Hudecki concluded.
Cameron
Campus
News: NSU
Campus
News:
NWOSU
Campus
News: OKCU
Campus
News: OCU
Campus
News: St.
Gregory's
University
Campus
News: OSU
Campus
News: UCO
MTRC News
Coming
Attractions
Editor's Note
Summer 2011 Teacher Connection Newsletter
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Locust Grove Gates Scholarship Winners Credit Teachers,
Counselor,
and Hard Work for Their Success
The seven Locust Grove Gates Scholars are (from left to right) Sarah Schoolfield, Connie
Sinclair, counselor, Trey Fogelman, Skylar James, Gabrielle Nutter, Tyler Littlefield. Back row
from left to right: Trey Conner and Jeremiah "Pud" Ross.
Imagine all your financial woes melting away upon receiving a letter from America's
richest man - Microsoft mogul, Bill Gates, net worth $56 billion, according to Forbes
400.
It sounds magical - mystical even! Envision answering your front door at 8 a.m., on
Saturday morning to TV cameras and a reporter, who places a microphone in front
of your mouth, asking "How do you feel being the Publishers' Clearinghouse
Sweepstakes' 2011-12 winner?"
It was all of that and then some for seven Locust Grove seniors after they received
notification by mail, announcing that each one of them had been selected as one of
the Gates Millennium Scholarship winners. Their scholarships' net worth totaled $3
million, which does not include their Oklahoma's Promise scholarships.
Their success, however, was no gamble nor did it happen by chance. They all
agreed that securing the Gates Scholarship took an enormous amount of hard
work, determination, perseverance, and most importantly, the love, help, and
support of their teachers, counselor, and parents.
For Trey Fogleman, Trey Conner, Sylar James, Tyler Littlefield, Sarah Schoolfield,
Jeremiah 'Pud' Ross, and Gabrielle Nutter - their dream has come true.
"When I read my letter, I felt relieved," Sarah Schoolfield said, "I am so thankful
that I don't have to worry about how I am going to pay for college. I'm just
astonished."
Gabrielle Nutter said, "I was overjoyed! The essays were the longest and the
hardest part of it all."
"I was speechless," said Jeremiah 'Pud' Ross.
Summer 2011 Teacher Connection Newsletter
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Clara Luper
Photo by Brandon Clemoens
Compliments of Langston University
"We were so relieved," Skylar James, Tyler Littlefield, and Trey Conner said.
"I thought WOW!!!" Trey Fogleman said.
"Oklahoma would be considered fifth in nation due of the number of our Gates
Scholarship recipients," said Connie Sinclair, Locust Grove counselor. "The hardest
part of the entire process is the waiting. These kids have worked hard, and I
couldn't be prouder of them," she said.
Jeremiah Ross or 'Pud' the nickname used by his peers, commented the most
difficult part about the process was learning how to control his stress.
The other scholars laughed as the 6'3', 180 pound star basketball player as he
shared his sentiments. "It was plain stressful," Ross said, smiling.
Each year, the Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS) program's goal is to promote
the highest academic excellence and provide scholarships that are good-through-graduation
to 1000 outstanding minority and underserved students to use at any
college or university of their choice nationwide.
"These kids deserve the recognition and the credit. They are great students, and
they have shown a lot of commitment, work ethic, and scholarship through the
entire Gates scholarship process," Joel Green, Locust Grove principal, said.
Clara Luper Remembered as a Pioneer for Change, a Consummate
Teacher
At her funeral service on June 17, mourners
gathered to pay tribute to Clara Mae Shepard
Luper - an extraordinary leader. She was 88 years
old.
Letters of condolence were read from President
Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
Governor Mary Fallin also expressed her sadness
for the passing of an ordinary woman, who never
took no for an answer. Because of her tenacity,
Clara Luper was able to accomplish extraordinary
things, and for that, Fallin said, we celebrate her
life.
"Who said that one person can't make a
difference?" Fallin said. "Clara Luper was a
pioneer for change."
Each and every speaker at Luper's life celebration
gave an account. Many were passionate and often
overcome with tears. Her family, friends, and
former students spoke proudly about how the
woman from an all black, segregated high school from Grayson, Oklahoma,
transformed a way of life for all Oklahomans and the citizens of this nation.
"Clara Luper was a consummate teacher!" Dr. Barbara Posey Jones said. Jones
was a former student of Luper's. She was also one of fourteen original 'Sit-Inner'
students instrumental in integrating the Katz Drug Store in 1958.
The historic non-violent 'Sit-In' protest movement desegregated all Katz Drug
Stores across the country and other establishments in downtown Oklahoma City.
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Luper spearheaded the Katz Drug protest and the Oklahoma City sanitation strike
that ignited the fight for equal rights, ending desegregation of many establishments
across the state and nation.
Dr. Jones also told the 3000 mourners within the Cox Convention Center that
Luper took a busload of students to a national NAACP conference in New York
City, and as they travelled, Luper conducted history lessons as they rode from state
to state. "When we went down to Katz Drug Store in 1958, she said we are going
to sit here until we are served. And we sat there, and the rest is history! She was a
strong, black woman," Jones said.
Luper was arrested 26 times, and her list of accomplishments blankets nearly five
decades. Her legacy speaks to her commitment for equality for all people; however,
her passion was for the children her daughter, Marilyn Luper Hildreth, said.
"My mother always had her students in our home, studying, preparing for a
pageant, rehearsing speeches, or preparing to travel to a convention. Our front door
remained open," Hildreth said.
"Don't just sit there. Get off of your behinds. Don't just talk about 'these kids.' Do
something!" Luper once told an audience of church worshipers.
Luper 's teaching career spanned 40 years in the classroom with Oklahoma City
Public Schools, beginning at the then segregated Dunjee High School in Spencer
Oklahoma. She also taught at Northwest Classen High School and John Marshall
High School respectfully. A sign hung above her classroom door that read,
'Welcome to Luperland.'
Luper was the first African-American to integrate and earn a Master's Degree in
History from the University of Oklahoma, and she taught America History, Black
History, Oklahoma History, Civics, Government, and Human Relations. Luper
received her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Oklahoma's only African-
American college - Langston University.
Clyde Taylor, a 1956 Dunjee High School graduate and Luper's first American
History Club President, said his former teacher will go down in history as a fighter
for African-American rights. "Clara Luper will be remembered as a real, genuine
person - a person who fought for what she believed in. I can remember when
theaters, restrooms, and buses posted signs that read 'for colored only.' She
changed all that! She always spoke her mind, and she taught her students to do
the same. Yes, mother Luper, has brought us a mighty, mighty long way."
Ted Gillispie Retires at the Top of His Game
"Ladies and gentlemen, Ted Gillispie is leaving
at the top of his game!" Linda Sholar,
Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
(OCTP) Chair, announced at the close of the
agency's June meeting.
With a golf club in his hand and surrounded by
an audience of family, friends, and colleagues,
Ted Gillispie, Executive Director for the
Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation,
recently announced that he will be taking off his
jacket and calling it quits after completing 13
years with the OCTP.
Before coming to OCTP, Gillispie spent 30
Summer 2011 Teacher Connection Newsletter
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Ted Gillispie
years as a teacher and as an administrator, and
now, he ends his career with a total of 43 years
in Oklahoma's public education system.
During his tenure as an educator, Gillispie was
selected as Oklahoma's Secondary Administrator of the Year in 1996-97. He
served as president of the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals
(OASSP), and chairman of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School
Administration (CCOSA). For three years, Gillispie served OASSP as the National
Association Secondary Schools Principals' (NASSP) coordinator.
Gillispie advocates that collaboration and cooperative learning are key players in
the reform movement that is sweeping our nation. He also stated that the number
one factor in student learning is having a quality, caring teacher in the classroom.
Gillispie earned a Bachelors of Science in Education from Southwestern Oklahoma
State University (SWOSU), and a Master's of Arts in Educational Administration
from East Central University (ECU). He completed a Standard Administrator's
Certificate for both principals and su.perintendents from the University of
Oklahoma.
Linda Reid, the current OCTP Accreditation Program Director, will serve as the
interim Executive Director following Gillispie's retirement on August 1.
Reflecting on his years at OCTP, Gillispie said, "I count my blessing daily to have
been able to work with dedicated staff and members both past and present. I
sincerely believe any leader is only as successful as the people he/she surrounds
her/himself with, and I have been surrounded by the best!"
Gillispie told a story of how his long-time, trusted friend Chuck McCormick, saw the
advertisement for the OCTP Executive Director position in the newspaper and
encouraged him to apply. "I read the ad, and I must admit that I didn't even know
anything about the agency. Chuck said, 'you've been a teacher and an
administrator,' and then he asked, 'tell me who would be better suited for the job
other than you, Ted.' I listened. I applied. And I got the job, and now, here I am,"
Gillispie chuckled.
"I've known Ted for over 20 years, and I know him well." McCormick said. " Ted's
not going to retire. He will change his focus, but he's not going to retire. He has
come such a long way. He serves selflessly and asks nothing in return. I feel
blessed to have known him."
Gillispie may be leaving OCTP, but according to those who know him personally,
the avid golfer will only be about five feet from the putting hole - close enough to
make a difference, just as he's always done in public education.
Lisa Holder, Director of Teacher Education at the Oklahoma State Regents for
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Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond
Photo compliments of the University of
Oklahoma School of Education
Higher Education, agrees, "Ted's devotion to education in the state will no doubt
continue on in his retirement. He is a wonderful example of what a true educator
should be," she said.
Education Expert Advocates Enhanced Teacher Preparation
The plight of boosting student achievement nationwide is directly linked to teacher
preparation, according to Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University
professor.
Linda Darling-Hammond was selected as the recipient of the 2011 Brock
International Prize for Excellence in Education honoree. She served as the keynote
speaker for the 10th annual Brock Symposium on Excellence in Education, which
was held at the University of Oklahoma's Thurman J. White Forum Auditorium on
April 8.
As the nation scrambles to find innovative
ways to offset education budget cuts, to
improve deteriorating test scores, and to
resolve and blend divided reform measures,
Darling-Hammond told the audience of
educators that well prepared teachers have a
direct impact on student achievement.
In her keynote address entitled, The Future of
Education and Teacher Preparation,
Developing Powerful Teaching: The Key to our
Educational Future, Darling-Hammond said,
"We must keep our eyes on the prize."
"Teacher learning must be intensified for
teaching content in ways that address diverse
pupil needs. To attract, prepare, and retained
skilled teachers, incentives must be increased.
We must expand performance-based assessment that shows how students and
teachers are learning. And, we must design schools to focus on powerful teaching
and learning for students and teachers," Darling-Hammond said.
Darling-Hammond said studies show that there are new expectations for student
learning which are changing worldwide. Traditional education as we know it has
shifted from teacher structured and guided practice to differentiated instruction and
the use of creative, scaffolding strategies. And as a result, the teaching focus is
now student-centered, engaged, and innovative.
For the past 20 years, Darling-Hammond has been on the forefront of driving
national educational policy. She also served as a leader of the then President-elect
Barack Obama's education policy transition team. Education Week identified
Darling-Hammond as one the nation's 10 most influential people in education.
Cameron University
The article below is a reprint from Cameron University's Good Stuff
School of Education and Behavioral Sciences Newsletter.
Cameron University's Professor Rolls in Passion and Fun
Many recognize Dr. Courtney Glazer as the lady with the long, dark curls frequently
seen zipping down the halls in her Doc Martins, but to her teacher education
Summer 2011 Teacher Connection Newsletter
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Dr. Courtney Glazer
candidates, Glazer has served for the past six years as Cameron University's
Associate Professor and the Coordinator of Field Experiences.
When asked what she likes most about Cameron, she replied
that she loves the students and her colleagues.
Glazer grew up in the Dallas area, and as a teenager, she
loved to roller skate. She recently recalled that when the parking
lot was first completed at the Fitness Center, she said she had a
blast using the smooth surface as her personal skating rink.
A love for travel is Glazer's current passion, as evidenced by
her latest adventure to New York City. While there, she enjoyed
the sights, sounds, Broadway shows, and museums during her week-long stay in
the city that never sleeps.
Glazer earned a degree in secondary education from Emory University in Atlanta,
Georgia, launching her education career in Allen, Texas, teaching for eight years in
both middle school and high school classrooms.
Glazer began teaching internet courses when the concept was in its infancy and
dial-up modems were the norm. Having discovered a love for technology, Glazer
returned to school for a master's degree in Learning Design and Technology from
Stanford University in California, followed by her PH.D., in instructional Technology
from the University of Texas in Austin.
Northeastern State University
Oklahoma and National Teachers of the Year Teach to Inspire
The 2011-12 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Elizabeth Smith, and National
Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown-Wessling share not only the honor of being
recognized as outstanding educators, but they both agree that their profession is
their life.
From left to right: Dr. Deborah Landry; Sara Brown-Wessling, National TOY; Elizabeth Smith,
OKTOY; and Dr. Kay Grant, NSU Dean of Teacher of Education
Northeastern State University College of Education in conjunction on with the
Minority Teacher Recruitment Center, the Retention Task Force and Kappa Delta Pi
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hosted its annual Celebration of Teaching in February, featuring the two top
educators.
More than 300 middle and high school students from surrounding school districts, in
addition to NSU faculty, staff, and students, converged upon NSU's campus to
participate in a full day of interactive workshops.
Smith told the students, "My job is my life. When I go to Walmart, and I see my
students, they remind me of why I teach. I teach because I know I am helping
students succeed. Teaching is a challenging profession with no money back
guarantees, coupled with the pressures of testing and other mandates. The longer I
stay in it, it becomes apparently clear to me the reason I teach. I teach because I
know I am making a difference in a child's life. I love my kids!"
Sara Brown-Wessling expressed the same sentiments. "There's a classroom
waiting for you! We teachers have all seen a child's face when he or she has
caught onto what is being taught. That is when the child realizes his or her
potential. Now, that's the ah-ha moment."
Brown-Wessling and Smith agree that teachers today are teaching and preparing
kids for 21st century jobs, for which they cannot even imagine now. But they both
insist that if they can manage to connect, love, and inspire, learning will take place.
"Gaps in learning become openings when we teach with passion, and we are able
to unlock the potential to inspire. Wisdom knows that your classroom is waiting for
you," Wessling said.
NSU's Urban Reform Network - TURN
The Northeastern State University Teaching and Urban Reform Network (TURN) is
a 16-week program designed to collaboratively pair beginning teacher candidates
with top performing urban schools in Tulsa Public School district.
Each TURN candidate is assigned a clinical faculty (mentor teacher) to complete 8
field observations. Clinical faculty evaluates each teacher candidate at the end of
the semester.
TURN focuses on a cadre of caring, committed, and creative individuals who want
to teach specifically in urban schools. This "out of the box" approach to becoming a
teacher allows the selected candidates to immerse themselves in college
coursework at the urban school site, joining theory and practice during their initial
internship experience.
Dr. Allyson Watson directs the TURN project, and she can be reached at
lleggett@nsuok.edu to answer any questions.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
NWOSU Teacher Candidate Presents Research at the Capitol
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Northwestern Oklahoma State University Research Team and Oklahoma legislators at the capitol.
Kala Mead, a Natural Science Education major at Northwestern Oklahoma State
University (NWOSU), presented a research project, entitled "Physics in Gymnastics:
Wrist Injury and Safety Mats" at Research Day at the Capitol this past spring.
The research results from the study suggested that there is a mathematical function
that can be used to predict the minimum safe thickness for tumbling mats based on
ages/weights of gymnasts.
Mead's personal experiences as a gymnast and concerns for youth safety in the
sport prompted her interest in conducting the project with the help of her classmate,
Cassandra Thompson, a pre-med student.
Mead will student teach in the Fall of 2011 and is scheduled to graduate with a
high school biology teaching certificate from NWOSU in December of 2011.
Oklahoma City University
Project Little Star Safari Shines Light on Free Style Exploration
Learning
To kick off "The Week of the Young Child" celebration, Oklahoma City University's
(OCU) Early Childhood and Elementary teacher candidates hosted the fourth
annual Little Star Safari (LSS) - a "Creative Arts and Activities for Children project"
which was held at OCU's Petree College of Arts and Sciences.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) sponsored
the events in an effort to heighten the awareness of early childhood issues facing
parents and educators today.
LSS is designed to arm OCU's
future educators with the
experience of how to establish
and manage multiple content
area centers simultaneously, as
well as expand their knowledge
base regarding the opportunities
and implications for learning
through developmentally-appropriate,
play-based
activities.
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Early childhood students participate in LSS project.
Upon completion of the LSS
project, teacher candidates were
able to assess each center and
determine the effectiveness of
student learning. These reflective
practices proved valuable in order to make potential improvements and tailor
thoughtfully-prepared daily lesson plans.
As an added bonus, parents whose children who attended LSS were given a
Parent Packet that contained materials explaining the curricula content, the fine arts
activities, and cognitive integration lessons taught. Plus, parents also received a
fact sheet that shared how children learn best through play and in true exploration.
The LSS centers creatively facilitated developmentally-appropriate instruction,
utilizing a child self-select model in the areas of art, music and movement, cooking,
language, fine motor skills, math, science, and sensory play - all integrated into a
'spring' theme.
A few of the activities aligned with the springtime theme, and they included holding
baby bunnies and candle the egg - an interactive research activity which allows
children to hold and observe firsthand how a growing chick develops and hatches.
Both indoor and outdoor free style explorations were filtered throughout all centers,
integrating the other content areas of water, sensory play, literacy, writing,
music/movement, and dramatic play.
The Little Safari Stars project has generated a heavy following primarily because of
the many repeat participants who have spread the word that the OCU teacher
education candidates continue to produce a truly "win-win" LSS project annually.
Oklahoma Christian University
OC Elementary Major Receives $3000 DaVinci Award
Jerica Briggs, an elementary education major at Oklahoma Christian University was
awarded the 2011 DaVinci Scholar in March, receiving $3000 to jump start her first
year of teaching in Oklahoma.
Briggs was recognized for her project, entitled "Water for the World" - a series of
lessons for fifth grade students.
St. Gregory's University
Faculty Member Selected to Attend Workshop
St. Gregory's University education faculty member Jean Edwards-Hill was one of 15
people from across the United States selected to attend a workshop in Princeton,
N.J. The workshop, which was hosted February 23-24 by the Education Testing
Service (ETS), was intended to help attendees understand and assess reading
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proficiency at the 12th-grade level.
Edwards-Hill, along with other educators involved in teaching college-level reading,
was invited by ETS to offer her professional expertise. She and others helped to
develop a working definition of reading proficiency at the 12th-grade level, providing
a benchmark for defining proficiency at lower grade levels.
The workshop was one component of a larger federally funded grant. The focus of
the grant is to construct a comprehensive reading assessment that will measure
whether a student's reading skills and abilities are sufficient to conclude that he or
she is ready to enter college or the workforce.
"It was an honor to be selected to attend the workshop," Edwards-Hill said. "Having
the opportunity to provide my insight was great. Even after all my years of teaching,
it was a wonderful educational opportunity. Learning is a lifelong experience."
Oklahoma State University
OSU's 21st Annual OKTOY Celebrates Teachheroes [tee-cher hee-ros]
Oklahoma State University celebrated its 21st annual Celebration of Teaching in
conjunction with the 3rd Biennial ACE, LEAP and FEA conference in Stillwater this
past spring. The conference theme, Teachheroes [tee-cher hee-ros], was fitting as
students, teachers, administrators and faculty were invited to celebrate the
wonderful contributions of teachers in the state and throughout the nation to the
field of education.
This year's conference featured Sara Brown Wessling, National Teacher of the
Year, and Elizabeth Smith, Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
In addition, the Oklahoma State University Teacher of the Year
(OkTOY)organization presented Clarence G. Oliver, Jr. with the Vision Award.
Oliver is Emeritus Dean and Graduate School Professor at Oral Roberts University
in Tulsa. He is a retired superintendent of Broken Arrow schools, an award-winning
journalist, and a former United States Army Infantry officer. Oliver is an officer and
member of several state, regional, and national organizations. He is active in
church, community, and civic work within his community and region.
Since 2007, the OkTOY organization annually honors those individuals whose
foresight, wisdom, and efforts activate reform to enhance the teaching profession
and student achievement.
Former Vision recipients include Oklahoma's former first lady, Kim Henry; former
Oklahoma State Superintendent, Sandy Garrett; former Director of Teacher
Education and Minority Teacher Recruitment Center Director with the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education, Kyle Dahlem; former dean of OSU's College of
Education, Kenneth King (deceased); and Dr. Nancy O'Donnell a career teacher.
O'Donnell was the 1983 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, the first runner-up National
Teacher of the Year, and the creator of OSU's Celebration of Teaching.
OKTOY also awarded the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Endowed scholarship and
the Mike Adkins Memorial scholarship to two desiring pre-service teachers.
University of Central Oklahoma
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University of Central Oklahoma's College of Education & Professional Studies first Urban Teacher
Preparation Academy Graduation Cohort. First row from left to right: Rebeckah Binion, Sharyce
Williams, Natalie Young, Bradly Cusack. Standing from left to right: Stephanie Cammack, Jessica
Martinez, Sherri Drwenski, Stacey Garcia, and JaRod Richardson. Photo compliments of UCO.
UCO Celebrates the First Graduating Urban Teacher Preparation
Academy Cohort
UCO's College of Education and Professional Studies hosted a banquet at the
close of the school year to honor the first graduating Urban Teacher Preparation
Academy (UTPA) cohort, celebrating their accomplishments with family, friends, and
colleagues.
"Today is a day about celebrating dreams. It is about celebrating the children of
Oklahoma City. It is about celebrating the teaching profession. It is about people
like you, who want to help to give the children of Oklahoma City a better life," Dr.
James Machell, UCO's Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies
said in the welcome.
The sole purpose for creating UCO's School of Teacher Education and Professional
Studies UTPA was to better equip and train pre-service teachers to push forward
and promote the academic performance of those children who are schooled in high
needs urban districts.
The UTPA selected a total of nine elementary and secondary pre-service teacher
candidates to partake in a year-long clinical teaching experience to help strengthen
their practice.
Elementary Education majors are Rebeckah Binion, Sherri Drwenski, JaRod
Richardson, and Natalie Young. Sharyce Williams is an Early Childhood Education
major. Stephanie Cammack is a Special Education major. Bradly Cusack and
Jessica Martinez are English Education majors.
To date, six of the eight UTPA graduates have been hired by Oklahoma City Public
Schools for the 2011-12 school year.
Dr. Bill Pink, UCO Associate Dean of Education and Professional Studies, told
humorous, heart-felt stories about each UTPA teacher candidate - application,
interviewing, clinical, mentoring, and bonding experiences.
"I wanted each of you to know that you all will always be a part of the Urban
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Dr. Lois Lawler Brown of Oklahoma City
University congratulates outgoing OACTE
President, Dr. Vicki Ferguson of the University
of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
Teacher Preparation Academy. The only way this has worked is because of the
leadership in each building. Our partnerships with OKCPS administrators, mentor
teachers and support staff was successful because of their willingness to work
together for the betterment of all children," Pink said.
Dr. Karl Springer, Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent said, "I believe in
the children of Oklahoma City Schools, and thank you UCO for believing in them as
well."
ACE and LEAP Students Learn First-Hand the Ins and Outs of
Becoming a Teacher
Dr. Susan Scott, a University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) teacher education
professor, has brought scores of students from across the state to UCO's campus,
acquainting them to college life and to the teaching profession.
For eight straight seasons, Scott has facilitated the Minority Educational
Encouragement Project, an Oklahoma State Regents for Higher.
This year, Scott hosted nine different groups, taking the students on a virtual
university tour, navigating them through a step by step process of how to prepare
for college, secure scholarships, file a FASFA, read and map out a plan of study,
course selection, plus expose them to student employment opportunities.
The students were able to share in the excitement of campus life, and at the end of
the day. They received a special T-shirts reflecting the spirit of being a teacher.
Oklahoma Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
OACTE Congratulates Outgoing Educators
Dr. Vicki Ferguson showers Dr. Bill Osborne of
East Central University with accolades for his
decades of service to teacher education.
Osborne retired as dean.
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NW Classen High School students (from left to right) Marlon
DeLeon and Carlos Lopez
Teacher Connection News
LEAP's Mentorship Program Connects Leaders with Future Leaders
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Leadership Education
Achievement Program (LEAP), is a leadership program used in several middle and
high schools across the state.
Two young men at Northwest Classen High School's LEAP Class have recently
discovered their own leadership skills, and in doing so, they both have come to the
realization that serving as a positive role model for younger students has been their
greatest reward.
NW Classen High School's ninth graders, Carlos Lopez and Marlon DeLeon, now
know that LEAP is a worthwhile class, but at the beginning, they had their doubts.
"Honestly, I never have been a leader in anything, so learning that I could be a role
model to someone made me feel good inside. I know I am a leader because my
little buddy looks up to me," DeLeon said.
LEAP teachers, Kate Haydon and Marsha Stewart, knew the value of the course,
and they believed in it so much so that they persuaded their administration to
establish the freshmen LEAP Academy at NW Classen - a mandated course
requirement for all incoming freshmen.
One unit within the curricula is the'Little Buddy' project, which pairs a LEAP
freshman with an elementary student. The high schooler serves as the mentor to
the Elementary mentee. During their mentoring sessions, the two engage in various
activities together reading books, eating lunch, playing on the playground;
conducting science projects, coloring pictures, eventually, cultivating a friendship.
Lopez mentored a kindergartener and DeLeon mentored a first grader at Kaser
Elementary School, visiting the mentees on three separate occasions during the fall
semester. "At first, my little buddy was a little bit on the shy side, but as we began
to talk more, we learned that we had a connection. We realized that we had more
in common than we realized," Lopez said.
Stewart states, "LEAP is a
very productive program. The
students have to practice
skills, so they can feel
comfortable with what they are
learning. LEAP is about
learning leadership skills,
interacting with the
community, working on
academic excellence, and
setting goals to go to college
within the very first year that
they attend NW Classen.
"This year, my students have
been very high achieving.
They are very smart and very
capable. We have accomplished so much this year, more than I ever thought we
would. At first, they were uncomfortable with the Little Buddy project; however, as
time went on, they began to embrace their mentees. They started getting letters
from their little Buddies, and soon they began owning it. They would make
comments 'like this is my little buddy, and look how much my little buddy's writing
skills have improved.' They wrote their little buddy back and asked them how they
are doing in school. That's something you won't hear a teenager ever ask, and for
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that I am extremely proud of them," Haydon said.
Both Lopez and DeLeon are Oklahoma Promise Scholars, and they have plans to
attend college after they complete high school. Lopez has aspirations to become an
engineer, and DeLeon wants to be a doctor.
"By the end of the year, we became extremely close, and really we didn't want to
leave our little Buddies," Lopez said.
"When you can be a part of someone's life in a positive way, then that tells me that
I have made a positive influence on his life. But to tell you the truth, my little buddy
helped me more than I helped him - My little buddy has been my mentor and
friend," LeDeon said.
Westville High Explore LEAP Activities
Right brain, left brain, Little Buddy mentorship program, the Trust game, and
shadow a teacher for a week are but a few of Westville students' most favorite
LEAP - Leadership Education Achievement Program activities.
"Who said learning can't be fun!" said Doris Ables, Westville's LEAP teacher. "I've
taught for over 20 years, and the LEAP program is the most engaging curriculum
ever," she added.
Westiville High School LEAP Class.
Brittany Trentham and Holly Fritch, LEAP students in Ables' class, said they
enjoyed shadowing a teacher for a week exercise.
"We see our teachers every day, but we very seldom get the opportunity to see
them outside of the classroom," Trenthem said. "We got a chance to see how they
prepare for class, and a teacher has to be very organized, plus teaching involves a
lot of planning," she said.
"We got to see them in their natural environment, and they are completely different
away from the classroom. They appear very relaxed; however, when they are in the
classroom, they turn on the gas. Being a teacher is a lot of work," Fritch said.
TSEIP Awards $14,362
Senate Bill 1393 created the Teacher Shortage Employment Incentive Program
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(TSEIP), a loan forgiveness program for math and science pre-service teacher
candidates.
This year, each TSEIP participant received a check for $14,362.
To qualify for the program, a student must receive a teaching certificate in either
mathematics or science from an Oklahoma accredited teacher education program
and teach for at least five consecutive years in an Oklahoma public secondary
school. After completing his/her teaching assignment, the TSEIP participant will be
reimbursed for the cost of his/her student loans.
Since its inception in 2001 through May 2006, there have been a total of 169
recipients, who have received a total of $2,083,374 in reimbursements.
The chart above shows the program's growth over a six year period, and also
provided below is a table that lists each participating higher education institution
along with the number of TSEIP award recipients to date.
The reimbursement amounts are generated by a formula identified in House Bill
1499.
For more information about the TSEIP program, email Saeed Sarani at
ssarani@osrhe.edu or call 405.225.9192.
Cameron 9
East Central University 4
Northeastern Oklahoma State University 31
Northwestern Oklahoma State University 4
Oklahoma Baptist University 1
Oklahoma Christian University 3
Oklahoma State University 40
Oklahoma University 16
Oklahoma Wesley University 1
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 3
Southern Nazarene University 2
Southwestern Oklahoma State University 19
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St. Gregory's University 2
University of Central Oklahoma 26
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma 7
University of Tulsa 1
The reimbursement amounts are generated by a formula identified in House Bill
1499.
For more information about the TSEIP program, email Saeed Sarani at
ssarani@osrhe.edu or call 405.225.9192.
Coming Attractions
To register, visit: http://www.okhighered.org/reading-conference/
Early registration ENDS: Monday, August 22nd!!!
Editor's Note
The Minority Teacher Recruitment Center (MTRC), a division of the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education, will electronically publish a fall, spring, and
summer editions of the Teacher Connection newsletter, for the purpose of
positively promoting, marketing, and showcasing news stories, creative features,
curricular highlights, research data, and technology updates, impacting Oklahoma's
Schools of Education, its faculty, students, and communities.
We welcome all comments, opinions, and/or concerns. Please forward your
remarks to Deena Thomas at dthomas@osrhe.edu.
Thank you,
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Oklahoma Teacher Enhancement Coordinator

Summer 2011 Teacher Connection Newsletter
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Dr. Phyllis Hudecki
Issue: #3 Summer 2011
Happy Summer!
Wow....the fall semester is right around the corner. When I was in the classroom, I
always looked forward to the new beginnings that each school year brought - new
students, new challenges, and new opportunities.
This issue of our newsletter highlights many university and student successes, but it
also features Dr. Hudecki's vision for future educational opportunities in our state.
We also feature a true pioneer in Oklahoma's educational foundation - Clara Luper.
Her profound influence in the state can never be forgotten and must continue to be
built upon.
What new opportunities and challenges will we seize to strengthen and impact the
kids of our state?
Have a restful end-of-the-summer, and best of luck for an exciting, opportunity-filled
2011-12 school year!
Director of Teacher Education and the Minority Teacher Recruitment Center
News
Oklahoma's Secretary of Education Stresses Common Sense
Accountability
This is definitely a season of change in Oklahoma - a change in leadership,
mandates, and budget reforms. However, with this change, those involved in
education will also see a greater focus on accountability.
Government officials, lawmakers, leaders, education
agencies, superintendents, school administrators, teachers,
support staff, parents, and students will all have the
opportunity to work together under these new accountability
measures.
Dr. Phyllis Hudecki, the newly appointed Oklahoma
Secretary of Education, calls these measures common
sense solutions.
Hudecki's education background and career experience
make her a perfect fit for the new position - a post that has
been empty for almost a decade. Hudecki, a Morris,
Oklahoma, native, received her undergraduate and
doctorate degrees from Oklahoma State University.
In This
Issue
A Message
From the
Director of
Teacher
Education
Oklahoma's
Secretary of
Education
Stresses
Common
Sense
Accountability
Locust Grove
Gates
Scholarship
Winners
Credit
Teachers,
Counselor,
and Hard
Work for
Their
Success
Clara Luper
Remembered
as a Pioneer
for Change,
a
Consummate
Teacher
Ted Gillispie
Retires at the
Top of His
Game
Education
Expert
Advocates
Enhanced
Teacher
Preparation
Campus
News:
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Additionally, she holds an Educational Specialist degree in Education Administration
from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Masters Degree in Education
from the University of Connecticut.
She began her career as a teacher. However, over the past 30 years, she has held
numerous posts in education, including serving as an administrator at a technical
high school in Kansas City, Missouri; holding various positions in the departments
of education in Iowa, Missouri, and Massachusetts; and working at the United
States Department of Education in Washington, D.C. She was also the Associate
Director of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education at the
University of California-Berkeley. And she most recently served as the Executive
Director of the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition (OBEC). "I have
worked with, in, or for public education for most of my life. I understand the federal
side and the state policy side."
Addressing the changes needed in Oklahoma's education system, Hudecki stated,
"We are going to have to focus sharply on the core mission of schooling. Schools
have become busy places, so busy in fact that we often forget why we are having
school," Hudecki said.
For starters, Hudecki stressed that teachers do not need any more mandates. "It is
so easy at the state level to develop a policy and roll it out there, and if it is flawed,
or if it is sabotaged, we don't bother to evaluate or modify it. When that happens, it
is extremely hard to reel it back in. It's difficult to recover from that."
She added that, even although Oklahoma and the country are facing challenges,
these challenges give everyone an opportunity on every level to make changes, but
points out that these changes must be made with caution. "This isn't original, but I
heard someone say education is like placing baby plants in the ground, and if they
don't start sprouting and growing within two weeks, then we would pull them up by
the roots and put something else in. Instead, let's take a look at the root of the
problems. Let's try and get some data instead of passing another law," Hudecki
said.
Hudecki stressed, "We need the 'can-do' attitude. We know that we are not going to
get a new shipment of parents in Oklahoma. The parents will send us their kids
from their homes, and we will have to work with them. We can't find smarter kids.
This is the hand we have been dealt. This is the challenge in education. We have
to help those kids become bright, creative, capable and successful."
Hudecki also feels a greater emphasis on accountability for school administrators is
needed. She stated, "Administrators will be held accountable for the environments
in that building. There is nothing worse than going into an environment that is
terrible and not conducive to doing your job. It is hard to work in an environment
when you are unappreciated and not supported."
Hudecki further emphasizes that support must come from the home. "Ending social
promotion is going to get parents' attention faster and in way we have not seen in a
very long time. We are serious. We need your help at home, and if you're capable
of helping us, then we are going to need you," Hudecki said.
She added that she would like to enlist the support and the help of the various
parent organizations to communicate the message of the common core standards,
which will implemented by 2014. "I don't think any parent would object to finding out
what they need to know about what is coming. I think that they would welcome it,
saying great, now, my child will be given the opportunity to learn at a more
competitive level and be successful. I don't know of any parent that doesn't want
their child to be successful - that's common sense."
"I see opportunity. We are ready for change," Hudecki concluded.
Cameron
Campus
News: NSU
Campus
News:
NWOSU
Campus
News: OKCU
Campus
News: OCU
Campus
News: St.
Gregory's
University
Campus
News: OSU
Campus
News: UCO
MTRC News
Coming
Attractions
Editor's Note
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Locust Grove Gates Scholarship Winners Credit Teachers,
Counselor,
and Hard Work for Their Success
The seven Locust Grove Gates Scholars are (from left to right) Sarah Schoolfield, Connie
Sinclair, counselor, Trey Fogelman, Skylar James, Gabrielle Nutter, Tyler Littlefield. Back row
from left to right: Trey Conner and Jeremiah "Pud" Ross.
Imagine all your financial woes melting away upon receiving a letter from America's
richest man - Microsoft mogul, Bill Gates, net worth $56 billion, according to Forbes
400.
It sounds magical - mystical even! Envision answering your front door at 8 a.m., on
Saturday morning to TV cameras and a reporter, who places a microphone in front
of your mouth, asking "How do you feel being the Publishers' Clearinghouse
Sweepstakes' 2011-12 winner?"
It was all of that and then some for seven Locust Grove seniors after they received
notification by mail, announcing that each one of them had been selected as one of
the Gates Millennium Scholarship winners. Their scholarships' net worth totaled $3
million, which does not include their Oklahoma's Promise scholarships.
Their success, however, was no gamble nor did it happen by chance. They all
agreed that securing the Gates Scholarship took an enormous amount of hard
work, determination, perseverance, and most importantly, the love, help, and
support of their teachers, counselor, and parents.
For Trey Fogleman, Trey Conner, Sylar James, Tyler Littlefield, Sarah Schoolfield,
Jeremiah 'Pud' Ross, and Gabrielle Nutter - their dream has come true.
"When I read my letter, I felt relieved," Sarah Schoolfield said, "I am so thankful
that I don't have to worry about how I am going to pay for college. I'm just
astonished."
Gabrielle Nutter said, "I was overjoyed! The essays were the longest and the
hardest part of it all."
"I was speechless," said Jeremiah 'Pud' Ross.
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Clara Luper
Photo by Brandon Clemoens
Compliments of Langston University
"We were so relieved," Skylar James, Tyler Littlefield, and Trey Conner said.
"I thought WOW!!!" Trey Fogleman said.
"Oklahoma would be considered fifth in nation due of the number of our Gates
Scholarship recipients," said Connie Sinclair, Locust Grove counselor. "The hardest
part of the entire process is the waiting. These kids have worked hard, and I
couldn't be prouder of them," she said.
Jeremiah Ross or 'Pud' the nickname used by his peers, commented the most
difficult part about the process was learning how to control his stress.
The other scholars laughed as the 6'3', 180 pound star basketball player as he
shared his sentiments. "It was plain stressful," Ross said, smiling.
Each year, the Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS) program's goal is to promote
the highest academic excellence and provide scholarships that are good-through-graduation
to 1000 outstanding minority and underserved students to use at any
college or university of their choice nationwide.
"These kids deserve the recognition and the credit. They are great students, and
they have shown a lot of commitment, work ethic, and scholarship through the
entire Gates scholarship process," Joel Green, Locust Grove principal, said.
Clara Luper Remembered as a Pioneer for Change, a Consummate
Teacher
At her funeral service on June 17, mourners
gathered to pay tribute to Clara Mae Shepard
Luper - an extraordinary leader. She was 88 years
old.
Letters of condolence were read from President
Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
Governor Mary Fallin also expressed her sadness
for the passing of an ordinary woman, who never
took no for an answer. Because of her tenacity,
Clara Luper was able to accomplish extraordinary
things, and for that, Fallin said, we celebrate her
life.
"Who said that one person can't make a
difference?" Fallin said. "Clara Luper was a
pioneer for change."
Each and every speaker at Luper's life celebration
gave an account. Many were passionate and often
overcome with tears. Her family, friends, and
former students spoke proudly about how the
woman from an all black, segregated high school from Grayson, Oklahoma,
transformed a way of life for all Oklahomans and the citizens of this nation.
"Clara Luper was a consummate teacher!" Dr. Barbara Posey Jones said. Jones
was a former student of Luper's. She was also one of fourteen original 'Sit-Inner'
students instrumental in integrating the Katz Drug Store in 1958.
The historic non-violent 'Sit-In' protest movement desegregated all Katz Drug
Stores across the country and other establishments in downtown Oklahoma City.
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Luper spearheaded the Katz Drug protest and the Oklahoma City sanitation strike
that ignited the fight for equal rights, ending desegregation of many establishments
across the state and nation.
Dr. Jones also told the 3000 mourners within the Cox Convention Center that
Luper took a busload of students to a national NAACP conference in New York
City, and as they travelled, Luper conducted history lessons as they rode from state
to state. "When we went down to Katz Drug Store in 1958, she said we are going
to sit here until we are served. And we sat there, and the rest is history! She was a
strong, black woman," Jones said.
Luper was arrested 26 times, and her list of accomplishments blankets nearly five
decades. Her legacy speaks to her commitment for equality for all people; however,
her passion was for the children her daughter, Marilyn Luper Hildreth, said.
"My mother always had her students in our home, studying, preparing for a
pageant, rehearsing speeches, or preparing to travel to a convention. Our front door
remained open," Hildreth said.
"Don't just sit there. Get off of your behinds. Don't just talk about 'these kids.' Do
something!" Luper once told an audience of church worshipers.
Luper 's teaching career spanned 40 years in the classroom with Oklahoma City
Public Schools, beginning at the then segregated Dunjee High School in Spencer
Oklahoma. She also taught at Northwest Classen High School and John Marshall
High School respectfully. A sign hung above her classroom door that read,
'Welcome to Luperland.'
Luper was the first African-American to integrate and earn a Master's Degree in
History from the University of Oklahoma, and she taught America History, Black
History, Oklahoma History, Civics, Government, and Human Relations. Luper
received her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Oklahoma's only African-
American college - Langston University.
Clyde Taylor, a 1956 Dunjee High School graduate and Luper's first American
History Club President, said his former teacher will go down in history as a fighter
for African-American rights. "Clara Luper will be remembered as a real, genuine
person - a person who fought for what she believed in. I can remember when
theaters, restrooms, and buses posted signs that read 'for colored only.' She
changed all that! She always spoke her mind, and she taught her students to do
the same. Yes, mother Luper, has brought us a mighty, mighty long way."
Ted Gillispie Retires at the Top of His Game
"Ladies and gentlemen, Ted Gillispie is leaving
at the top of his game!" Linda Sholar,
Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
(OCTP) Chair, announced at the close of the
agency's June meeting.
With a golf club in his hand and surrounded by
an audience of family, friends, and colleagues,
Ted Gillispie, Executive Director for the
Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation,
recently announced that he will be taking off his
jacket and calling it quits after completing 13
years with the OCTP.
Before coming to OCTP, Gillispie spent 30
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Ted Gillispie
years as a teacher and as an administrator, and
now, he ends his career with a total of 43 years
in Oklahoma's public education system.
During his tenure as an educator, Gillispie was
selected as Oklahoma's Secondary Administrator of the Year in 1996-97. He
served as president of the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals
(OASSP), and chairman of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School
Administration (CCOSA). For three years, Gillispie served OASSP as the National
Association Secondary Schools Principals' (NASSP) coordinator.
Gillispie advocates that collaboration and cooperative learning are key players in
the reform movement that is sweeping our nation. He also stated that the number
one factor in student learning is having a quality, caring teacher in the classroom.
Gillispie earned a Bachelors of Science in Education from Southwestern Oklahoma
State University (SWOSU), and a Master's of Arts in Educational Administration
from East Central University (ECU). He completed a Standard Administrator's
Certificate for both principals and su.perintendents from the University of
Oklahoma.
Linda Reid, the current OCTP Accreditation Program Director, will serve as the
interim Executive Director following Gillispie's retirement on August 1.
Reflecting on his years at OCTP, Gillispie said, "I count my blessing daily to have
been able to work with dedicated staff and members both past and present. I
sincerely believe any leader is only as successful as the people he/she surrounds
her/himself with, and I have been surrounded by the best!"
Gillispie told a story of how his long-time, trusted friend Chuck McCormick, saw the
advertisement for the OCTP Executive Director position in the newspaper and
encouraged him to apply. "I read the ad, and I must admit that I didn't even know
anything about the agency. Chuck said, 'you've been a teacher and an
administrator,' and then he asked, 'tell me who would be better suited for the job
other than you, Ted.' I listened. I applied. And I got the job, and now, here I am,"
Gillispie chuckled.
"I've known Ted for over 20 years, and I know him well." McCormick said. " Ted's
not going to retire. He will change his focus, but he's not going to retire. He has
come such a long way. He serves selflessly and asks nothing in return. I feel
blessed to have known him."
Gillispie may be leaving OCTP, but according to those who know him personally,
the avid golfer will only be about five feet from the putting hole - close enough to
make a difference, just as he's always done in public education.
Lisa Holder, Director of Teacher Education at the Oklahoma State Regents for
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Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond
Photo compliments of the University of
Oklahoma School of Education
Higher Education, agrees, "Ted's devotion to education in the state will no doubt
continue on in his retirement. He is a wonderful example of what a true educator
should be," she said.
Education Expert Advocates Enhanced Teacher Preparation
The plight of boosting student achievement nationwide is directly linked to teacher
preparation, according to Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University
professor.
Linda Darling-Hammond was selected as the recipient of the 2011 Brock
International Prize for Excellence in Education honoree. She served as the keynote
speaker for the 10th annual Brock Symposium on Excellence in Education, which
was held at the University of Oklahoma's Thurman J. White Forum Auditorium on
April 8.
As the nation scrambles to find innovative
ways to offset education budget cuts, to
improve deteriorating test scores, and to
resolve and blend divided reform measures,
Darling-Hammond told the audience of
educators that well prepared teachers have a
direct impact on student achievement.
In her keynote address entitled, The Future of
Education and Teacher Preparation,
Developing Powerful Teaching: The Key to our
Educational Future, Darling-Hammond said,
"We must keep our eyes on the prize."
"Teacher learning must be intensified for
teaching content in ways that address diverse
pupil needs. To attract, prepare, and retained
skilled teachers, incentives must be increased.
We must expand performance-based assessment that shows how students and
teachers are learning. And, we must design schools to focus on powerful teaching
and learning for students and teachers," Darling-Hammond said.
Darling-Hammond said studies show that there are new expectations for student
learning which are changing worldwide. Traditional education as we know it has
shifted from teacher structured and guided practice to differentiated instruction and
the use of creative, scaffolding strategies. And as a result, the teaching focus is
now student-centered, engaged, and innovative.
For the past 20 years, Darling-Hammond has been on the forefront of driving
national educational policy. She also served as a leader of the then President-elect
Barack Obama's education policy transition team. Education Week identified
Darling-Hammond as one the nation's 10 most influential people in education.
Cameron University
The article below is a reprint from Cameron University's Good Stuff
School of Education and Behavioral Sciences Newsletter.
Cameron University's Professor Rolls in Passion and Fun
Many recognize Dr. Courtney Glazer as the lady with the long, dark curls frequently
seen zipping down the halls in her Doc Martins, but to her teacher education
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Dr. Courtney Glazer
candidates, Glazer has served for the past six years as Cameron University's
Associate Professor and the Coordinator of Field Experiences.
When asked what she likes most about Cameron, she replied
that she loves the students and her colleagues.
Glazer grew up in the Dallas area, and as a teenager, she
loved to roller skate. She recently recalled that when the parking
lot was first completed at the Fitness Center, she said she had a
blast using the smooth surface as her personal skating rink.
A love for travel is Glazer's current passion, as evidenced by
her latest adventure to New York City. While there, she enjoyed
the sights, sounds, Broadway shows, and museums during her week-long stay in
the city that never sleeps.
Glazer earned a degree in secondary education from Emory University in Atlanta,
Georgia, launching her education career in Allen, Texas, teaching for eight years in
both middle school and high school classrooms.
Glazer began teaching internet courses when the concept was in its infancy and
dial-up modems were the norm. Having discovered a love for technology, Glazer
returned to school for a master's degree in Learning Design and Technology from
Stanford University in California, followed by her PH.D., in instructional Technology
from the University of Texas in Austin.
Northeastern State University
Oklahoma and National Teachers of the Year Teach to Inspire
The 2011-12 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Elizabeth Smith, and National
Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown-Wessling share not only the honor of being
recognized as outstanding educators, but they both agree that their profession is
their life.
From left to right: Dr. Deborah Landry; Sara Brown-Wessling, National TOY; Elizabeth Smith,
OKTOY; and Dr. Kay Grant, NSU Dean of Teacher of Education
Northeastern State University College of Education in conjunction on with the
Minority Teacher Recruitment Center, the Retention Task Force and Kappa Delta Pi
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hosted its annual Celebration of Teaching in February, featuring the two top
educators.
More than 300 middle and high school students from surrounding school districts, in
addition to NSU faculty, staff, and students, converged upon NSU's campus to
participate in a full day of interactive workshops.
Smith told the students, "My job is my life. When I go to Walmart, and I see my
students, they remind me of why I teach. I teach because I know I am helping
students succeed. Teaching is a challenging profession with no money back
guarantees, coupled with the pressures of testing and other mandates. The longer I
stay in it, it becomes apparently clear to me the reason I teach. I teach because I
know I am making a difference in a child's life. I love my kids!"
Sara Brown-Wessling expressed the same sentiments. "There's a classroom
waiting for you! We teachers have all seen a child's face when he or she has
caught onto what is being taught. That is when the child realizes his or her
potential. Now, that's the ah-ha moment."
Brown-Wessling and Smith agree that teachers today are teaching and preparing
kids for 21st century jobs, for which they cannot even imagine now. But they both
insist that if they can manage to connect, love, and inspire, learning will take place.
"Gaps in learning become openings when we teach with passion, and we are able
to unlock the potential to inspire. Wisdom knows that your classroom is waiting for
you," Wessling said.
NSU's Urban Reform Network - TURN
The Northeastern State University Teaching and Urban Reform Network (TURN) is
a 16-week program designed to collaboratively pair beginning teacher candidates
with top performing urban schools in Tulsa Public School district.
Each TURN candidate is assigned a clinical faculty (mentor teacher) to complete 8
field observations. Clinical faculty evaluates each teacher candidate at the end of
the semester.
TURN focuses on a cadre of caring, committed, and creative individuals who want
to teach specifically in urban schools. This "out of the box" approach to becoming a
teacher allows the selected candidates to immerse themselves in college
coursework at the urban school site, joining theory and practice during their initial
internship experience.
Dr. Allyson Watson directs the TURN project, and she can be reached at
lleggett@nsuok.edu to answer any questions.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
NWOSU Teacher Candidate Presents Research at the Capitol
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Northwestern Oklahoma State University Research Team and Oklahoma legislators at the capitol.
Kala Mead, a Natural Science Education major at Northwestern Oklahoma State
University (NWOSU), presented a research project, entitled "Physics in Gymnastics:
Wrist Injury and Safety Mats" at Research Day at the Capitol this past spring.
The research results from the study suggested that there is a mathematical function
that can be used to predict the minimum safe thickness for tumbling mats based on
ages/weights of gymnasts.
Mead's personal experiences as a gymnast and concerns for youth safety in the
sport prompted her interest in conducting the project with the help of her classmate,
Cassandra Thompson, a pre-med student.
Mead will student teach in the Fall of 2011 and is scheduled to graduate with a
high school biology teaching certificate from NWOSU in December of 2011.
Oklahoma City University
Project Little Star Safari Shines Light on Free Style Exploration
Learning
To kick off "The Week of the Young Child" celebration, Oklahoma City University's
(OCU) Early Childhood and Elementary teacher candidates hosted the fourth
annual Little Star Safari (LSS) - a "Creative Arts and Activities for Children project"
which was held at OCU's Petree College of Arts and Sciences.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) sponsored
the events in an effort to heighten the awareness of early childhood issues facing
parents and educators today.
LSS is designed to arm OCU's
future educators with the
experience of how to establish
and manage multiple content
area centers simultaneously, as
well as expand their knowledge
base regarding the opportunities
and implications for learning
through developmentally-appropriate,
play-based
activities.
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Early childhood students participate in LSS project.
Upon completion of the LSS
project, teacher candidates were
able to assess each center and
determine the effectiveness of
student learning. These reflective
practices proved valuable in order to make potential improvements and tailor
thoughtfully-prepared daily lesson plans.
As an added bonus, parents whose children who attended LSS were given a
Parent Packet that contained materials explaining the curricula content, the fine arts
activities, and cognitive integration lessons taught. Plus, parents also received a
fact sheet that shared how children learn best through play and in true exploration.
The LSS centers creatively facilitated developmentally-appropriate instruction,
utilizing a child self-select model in the areas of art, music and movement, cooking,
language, fine motor skills, math, science, and sensory play - all integrated into a
'spring' theme.
A few of the activities aligned with the springtime theme, and they included holding
baby bunnies and candle the egg - an interactive research activity which allows
children to hold and observe firsthand how a growing chick develops and hatches.
Both indoor and outdoor free style explorations were filtered throughout all centers,
integrating the other content areas of water, sensory play, literacy, writing,
music/movement, and dramatic play.
The Little Safari Stars project has generated a heavy following primarily because of
the many repeat participants who have spread the word that the OCU teacher
education candidates continue to produce a truly "win-win" LSS project annually.
Oklahoma Christian University
OC Elementary Major Receives $3000 DaVinci Award
Jerica Briggs, an elementary education major at Oklahoma Christian University was
awarded the 2011 DaVinci Scholar in March, receiving $3000 to jump start her first
year of teaching in Oklahoma.
Briggs was recognized for her project, entitled "Water for the World" - a series of
lessons for fifth grade students.
St. Gregory's University
Faculty Member Selected to Attend Workshop
St. Gregory's University education faculty member Jean Edwards-Hill was one of 15
people from across the United States selected to attend a workshop in Princeton,
N.J. The workshop, which was hosted February 23-24 by the Education Testing
Service (ETS), was intended to help attendees understand and assess reading
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proficiency at the 12th-grade level.
Edwards-Hill, along with other educators involved in teaching college-level reading,
was invited by ETS to offer her professional expertise. She and others helped to
develop a working definition of reading proficiency at the 12th-grade level, providing
a benchmark for defining proficiency at lower grade levels.
The workshop was one component of a larger federally funded grant. The focus of
the grant is to construct a comprehensive reading assessment that will measure
whether a student's reading skills and abilities are sufficient to conclude that he or
she is ready to enter college or the workforce.
"It was an honor to be selected to attend the workshop," Edwards-Hill said. "Having
the opportunity to provide my insight was great. Even after all my years of teaching,
it was a wonderful educational opportunity. Learning is a lifelong experience."
Oklahoma State University
OSU's 21st Annual OKTOY Celebrates Teachheroes [tee-cher hee-ros]
Oklahoma State University celebrated its 21st annual Celebration of Teaching in
conjunction with the 3rd Biennial ACE, LEAP and FEA conference in Stillwater this
past spring. The conference theme, Teachheroes [tee-cher hee-ros], was fitting as
students, teachers, administrators and faculty were invited to celebrate the
wonderful contributions of teachers in the state and throughout the nation to the
field of education.
This year's conference featured Sara Brown Wessling, National Teacher of the
Year, and Elizabeth Smith, Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
In addition, the Oklahoma State University Teacher of the Year
(OkTOY)organization presented Clarence G. Oliver, Jr. with the Vision Award.
Oliver is Emeritus Dean and Graduate School Professor at Oral Roberts University
in Tulsa. He is a retired superintendent of Broken Arrow schools, an award-winning
journalist, and a former United States Army Infantry officer. Oliver is an officer and
member of several state, regional, and national organizations. He is active in
church, community, and civic work within his community and region.
Since 2007, the OkTOY organization annually honors those individuals whose
foresight, wisdom, and efforts activate reform to enhance the teaching profession
and student achievement.
Former Vision recipients include Oklahoma's former first lady, Kim Henry; former
Oklahoma State Superintendent, Sandy Garrett; former Director of Teacher
Education and Minority Teacher Recruitment Center Director with the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education, Kyle Dahlem; former dean of OSU's College of
Education, Kenneth King (deceased); and Dr. Nancy O'Donnell a career teacher.
O'Donnell was the 1983 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, the first runner-up National
Teacher of the Year, and the creator of OSU's Celebration of Teaching.
OKTOY also awarded the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Endowed scholarship and
the Mike Adkins Memorial scholarship to two desiring pre-service teachers.
University of Central Oklahoma
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University of Central Oklahoma's College of Education & Professional Studies first Urban Teacher
Preparation Academy Graduation Cohort. First row from left to right: Rebeckah Binion, Sharyce
Williams, Natalie Young, Bradly Cusack. Standing from left to right: Stephanie Cammack, Jessica
Martinez, Sherri Drwenski, Stacey Garcia, and JaRod Richardson. Photo compliments of UCO.
UCO Celebrates the First Graduating Urban Teacher Preparation
Academy Cohort
UCO's College of Education and Professional Studies hosted a banquet at the
close of the school year to honor the first graduating Urban Teacher Preparation
Academy (UTPA) cohort, celebrating their accomplishments with family, friends, and
colleagues.
"Today is a day about celebrating dreams. It is about celebrating the children of
Oklahoma City. It is about celebrating the teaching profession. It is about people
like you, who want to help to give the children of Oklahoma City a better life," Dr.
James Machell, UCO's Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies
said in the welcome.
The sole purpose for creating UCO's School of Teacher Education and Professional
Studies UTPA was to better equip and train pre-service teachers to push forward
and promote the academic performance of those children who are schooled in high
needs urban districts.
The UTPA selected a total of nine elementary and secondary pre-service teacher
candidates to partake in a year-long clinical teaching experience to help strengthen
their practice.
Elementary Education majors are Rebeckah Binion, Sherri Drwenski, JaRod
Richardson, and Natalie Young. Sharyce Williams is an Early Childhood Education
major. Stephanie Cammack is a Special Education major. Bradly Cusack and
Jessica Martinez are English Education majors.
To date, six of the eight UTPA graduates have been hired by Oklahoma City Public
Schools for the 2011-12 school year.
Dr. Bill Pink, UCO Associate Dean of Education and Professional Studies, told
humorous, heart-felt stories about each UTPA teacher candidate - application,
interviewing, clinical, mentoring, and bonding experiences.
"I wanted each of you to know that you all will always be a part of the Urban
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Dr. Lois Lawler Brown of Oklahoma City
University congratulates outgoing OACTE
President, Dr. Vicki Ferguson of the University
of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
Teacher Preparation Academy. The only way this has worked is because of the
leadership in each building. Our partnerships with OKCPS administrators, mentor
teachers and support staff was successful because of their willingness to work
together for the betterment of all children," Pink said.
Dr. Karl Springer, Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent said, "I believe in
the children of Oklahoma City Schools, and thank you UCO for believing in them as
well."
ACE and LEAP Students Learn First-Hand the Ins and Outs of
Becoming a Teacher
Dr. Susan Scott, a University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) teacher education
professor, has brought scores of students from across the state to UCO's campus,
acquainting them to college life and to the teaching profession.
For eight straight seasons, Scott has facilitated the Minority Educational
Encouragement Project, an Oklahoma State Regents for Higher.
This year, Scott hosted nine different groups, taking the students on a virtual
university tour, navigating them through a step by step process of how to prepare
for college, secure scholarships, file a FASFA, read and map out a plan of study,
course selection, plus expose them to student employment opportunities.
The students were able to share in the excitement of campus life, and at the end of
the day. They received a special T-shirts reflecting the spirit of being a teacher.
Oklahoma Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
OACTE Congratulates Outgoing Educators
Dr. Vicki Ferguson showers Dr. Bill Osborne of
East Central University with accolades for his
decades of service to teacher education.
Osborne retired as dean.
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NW Classen High School students (from left to right) Marlon
DeLeon and Carlos Lopez
Teacher Connection News
LEAP's Mentorship Program Connects Leaders with Future Leaders
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Leadership Education
Achievement Program (LEAP), is a leadership program used in several middle and
high schools across the state.
Two young men at Northwest Classen High School's LEAP Class have recently
discovered their own leadership skills, and in doing so, they both have come to the
realization that serving as a positive role model for younger students has been their
greatest reward.
NW Classen High School's ninth graders, Carlos Lopez and Marlon DeLeon, now
know that LEAP is a worthwhile class, but at the beginning, they had their doubts.
"Honestly, I never have been a leader in anything, so learning that I could be a role
model to someone made me feel good inside. I know I am a leader because my
little buddy looks up to me," DeLeon said.
LEAP teachers, Kate Haydon and Marsha Stewart, knew the value of the course,
and they believed in it so much so that they persuaded their administration to
establish the freshmen LEAP Academy at NW Classen - a mandated course
requirement for all incoming freshmen.
One unit within the curricula is the'Little Buddy' project, which pairs a LEAP
freshman with an elementary student. The high schooler serves as the mentor to
the Elementary mentee. During their mentoring sessions, the two engage in various
activities together reading books, eating lunch, playing on the playground;
conducting science projects, coloring pictures, eventually, cultivating a friendship.
Lopez mentored a kindergartener and DeLeon mentored a first grader at Kaser
Elementary School, visiting the mentees on three separate occasions during the fall
semester. "At first, my little buddy was a little bit on the shy side, but as we began
to talk more, we learned that we had a connection. We realized that we had more
in common than we realized," Lopez said.
Stewart states, "LEAP is a
very productive program. The
students have to practice
skills, so they can feel
comfortable with what they are
learning. LEAP is about
learning leadership skills,
interacting with the
community, working on
academic excellence, and
setting goals to go to college
within the very first year that
they attend NW Classen.
"This year, my students have
been very high achieving.
They are very smart and very
capable. We have accomplished so much this year, more than I ever thought we
would. At first, they were uncomfortable with the Little Buddy project; however, as
time went on, they began to embrace their mentees. They started getting letters
from their little Buddies, and soon they began owning it. They would make
comments 'like this is my little buddy, and look how much my little buddy's writing
skills have improved.' They wrote their little buddy back and asked them how they
are doing in school. That's something you won't hear a teenager ever ask, and for
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that I am extremely proud of them," Haydon said.
Both Lopez and DeLeon are Oklahoma Promise Scholars, and they have plans to
attend college after they complete high school. Lopez has aspirations to become an
engineer, and DeLeon wants to be a doctor.
"By the end of the year, we became extremely close, and really we didn't want to
leave our little Buddies," Lopez said.
"When you can be a part of someone's life in a positive way, then that tells me that
I have made a positive influence on his life. But to tell you the truth, my little buddy
helped me more than I helped him - My little buddy has been my mentor and
friend," LeDeon said.
Westville High Explore LEAP Activities
Right brain, left brain, Little Buddy mentorship program, the Trust game, and
shadow a teacher for a week are but a few of Westville students' most favorite
LEAP - Leadership Education Achievement Program activities.
"Who said learning can't be fun!" said Doris Ables, Westville's LEAP teacher. "I've
taught for over 20 years, and the LEAP program is the most engaging curriculum
ever," she added.
Westiville High School LEAP Class.
Brittany Trentham and Holly Fritch, LEAP students in Ables' class, said they
enjoyed shadowing a teacher for a week exercise.
"We see our teachers every day, but we very seldom get the opportunity to see
them outside of the classroom," Trenthem said. "We got a chance to see how they
prepare for class, and a teacher has to be very organized, plus teaching involves a
lot of planning," she said.
"We got to see them in their natural environment, and they are completely different
away from the classroom. They appear very relaxed; however, when they are in the
classroom, they turn on the gas. Being a teacher is a lot of work," Fritch said.
TSEIP Awards $14,362
Senate Bill 1393 created the Teacher Shortage Employment Incentive Program
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(TSEIP), a loan forgiveness program for math and science pre-service teacher
candidates.
This year, each TSEIP participant received a check for $14,362.
To qualify for the program, a student must receive a teaching certificate in either
mathematics or science from an Oklahoma accredited teacher education program
and teach for at least five consecutive years in an Oklahoma public secondary
school. After completing his/her teaching assignment, the TSEIP participant will be
reimbursed for the cost of his/her student loans.
Since its inception in 2001 through May 2006, there have been a total of 169
recipients, who have received a total of $2,083,374 in reimbursements.
The chart above shows the program's growth over a six year period, and also
provided below is a table that lists each participating higher education institution
along with the number of TSEIP award recipients to date.
The reimbursement amounts are generated by a formula identified in House Bill
1499.
For more information about the TSEIP program, email Saeed Sarani at
ssarani@osrhe.edu or call 405.225.9192.
Cameron 9
East Central University 4
Northeastern Oklahoma State University 31
Northwestern Oklahoma State University 4
Oklahoma Baptist University 1
Oklahoma Christian University 3
Oklahoma State University 40
Oklahoma University 16
Oklahoma Wesley University 1
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 3
Southern Nazarene University 2
Southwestern Oklahoma State University 19
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St. Gregory's University 2
University of Central Oklahoma 26
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma 7
University of Tulsa 1
The reimbursement amounts are generated by a formula identified in House Bill
1499.
For more information about the TSEIP program, email Saeed Sarani at
ssarani@osrhe.edu or call 405.225.9192.
Coming Attractions
To register, visit: http://www.okhighered.org/reading-conference/
Early registration ENDS: Monday, August 22nd!!!
Editor's Note
The Minority Teacher Recruitment Center (MTRC), a division of the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education, will electronically publish a fall, spring, and
summer editions of the Teacher Connection newsletter, for the purpose of
positively promoting, marketing, and showcasing news stories, creative features,
curricular highlights, research data, and technology updates, impacting Oklahoma's
Schools of Education, its faculty, students, and communities.
We welcome all comments, opinions, and/or concerns. Please forward your
remarks to Deena Thomas at dthomas@osrhe.edu.
Thank you,
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Oklahoma Teacher Enhancement Coordinator